


The Case of the Stolen Dentures

by Small_Hobbit



Category: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Case Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 22:24:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11472888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit
Summary: A minor theft becomes a much more serious case.





	The Case of the Stolen Dentures

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ/DW's Fan Flashworks "Thief" Challenge

“Ha,” Holmes said, “it has come to a pretty pass when Lestrade is consulting me about a thief stealing a set of false teeth.”  
  
He had been reading a note which had been delivered a few minutes I earlier.  His bark of laughter caused me to look up from the morning’s paper, where I had been perusing the racing pages.  
  
“Really, Holmes,” I said, “Don’t you feel such levity is misplaced?  No doubt the owner has been seriously inconvenienced.”  
  
“No, it is nothing like that,” he replied.  “They were stolen from a dentist, who had been making them for a client.  Apparently the storeroom where all the dentures are kept had been ransacked, but it appeared nothing had been taken except for this one particular set of dentures.    Lestrade thought I might be interested in the case as a curiosity.”  
  
“And are you?”  
  
“I believe so.  I shall send a telegram to the dentist telling him he may expect us this afternoon.  This will give me sufficient time to finish writing to Father Williams and for us to have an early luncheon.”  
  
I returned to my newspaper, but since I would no longer be able to reach my club and return in time for luncheon, I had lost interest in placing a bet.  
  
***  
  
We were just finishing our meal when a telegram arrived for Holmes.  He tore it open and read the contents out to me, “DENTURES REAPPEARED STOP NO NEED FOR VISIT STOP ARBUTHNOT FULL STOP”  
  
“Oh!” I said, “In which case, I shall ask Mrs Hudson if she could make some coffee for us.”  
  
“On the contrary, Watson.  This changes matters completely.  Come, we must leave at once.”  
  
Holmes said no more until we were in a cab and heading towards Arbuthnot’s dentistry practice, when he asked me, “Why would you steal a set of dentures?”  
  
“Because I was in need of some, or a family member needed them.”  
  
“But then, why would you return them?”  
  
“If they didn’t fit?”  
  
“What, and steal a second set, and so on, until you found some which did fit?  I agree it is a possibility, but one we can fairly safely discard.”  
  
Holmes lapsed into silence, whilst I tried, and failed, to think of any reason for stealing and then returning a set of dentures.  The best I could imagine was to make a cast of the dentures and then mould one’s own set, but I could not see one would save a great deal of money in so doing.  
  
As soon as we arrived at the dentistry practice Holmes demanded Arbuthnot show him the dentures at the centre of the case.  The dentist was understandably surprised, but did as requested.  
  
Holmes spent some time peering at the dentures and carefully turning them in his hand.  Then he said, “Who were these made for?”  
  
“Lord Atterbury.”  
  
“A very distinguished client.”  
  
“Yes, we were most honoured he chose to patronise us.  I believe it was a recommendation from his nephew.”  
  
Holmes continued to inspect the dentures, before saying, “Aha!  Look Arbuthnot, between the canine and the pre-molar, and again on the other side, between the two molars, can you see something.”  
  
Arbuthnot looked closely.  “Good heavens, you’re right.  There seems to what looks like tiny globules of resin, and even,” he moved as if to touch the dentures, but Holmes pulled them back out of his reach, “a very thin coating on the inside.”  
  
“A coating which I suspect may well prove poisonous to the wearer.”  
  
“What am I going to do?  I have arranged for Lord Atterbury to come later this afternoon for a fitting.”  
  
“That might be thought to have been a little premature, since you did not even have the dentures until lunchtime.”  
  
“As luck would have it, the nephew called this afternoon, after they had reappeared, and said his uncle was keen to try them, so I made the appointment then.”  
  
“In which case, I would suggest we send for Inspector Lestrade, and Watson and I will return in time to meet Lord Atterbury, who I am sure will be attended by his nephew.”  
  
***  
  
Thus it was at the appointed hour Lestrade and I were sitting in the waiting room near the door.  Lestrade had been persuaded to sit with his hand on his jaw, as if he were suffering from bad toothache, in case he was recognised.  Holmes meanwhile was waiting in Arbuthnot’s consulting room.  
  
Lord Atterbury and his nephew were shown into the waiting room, and immediately Arbuthnot came out to greet them.  “I am so sorry, my lord, there seems to be a problem with your dentures, and we cannot proceed today after all.”  
  
“Uncle,” the nephew said, “I cannot see how it can be anything major.  You should insist on trying them on anyway.”  
  
Holmes stepped out of the consulting room.  “Even though they have been coated with poison?” he asked, holding the dentures out.  
  
“I don’t know what you mean,” the nephew blustered and attempted to grab the dentures.  
  
Lestrade stood up.  “I think you do, young man,” he said.  
  
The nephew pushed his uncle towards Holmes and tried to run, but with Lestrade and I between him and the doorway, there was nowhere to go, and Lestrade quickly handcuffed him.  
  
Unsurprisingly, Lord Atterbury was rather shaken at the turn of events, so I stayed to reassure him and accompany him home, whilst Holmes went with Lestrade to the Yard.  
  
Later, Holmes told me the nephew, who had large gambling debts, had decided to obtain his inheritance earlier than was lawful, and had turned thief in order to steal the dentures.  He had chosen Arbuthnot’s dental practice because it backed onto the home of one of those he gambled with and therefore someone he could visit without suspicion.  He had painted the dentures with the poison and had assumed since they were returned no-one would question their temporary disappearance.  Unfortunately for him, Sherlock Holmes had.  


**Author's Note:**

> A Russian version can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15881268


End file.
